Apparatus for cleaning sedimentation tanks



March 10, 1936. AU HUN ETAL 2,033,291

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SEDIMENTATION TANKS Filed Nov. 23, 1932 s Sheets-Sheet 1 40222 B. Arc

Mel;- A TORNEY- Mar h 10, 1936. yv. c. LA-UGHLIN ET AL APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SEDIMENTATION TANKS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 23, 1932 v C 25921171 afia7z2i 2x64 Meri- ATTORNEY- s Sheets-Shet' s A Filed Ndv. 25, 1,952

w. c. LAUGHLIN El AL APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SEDIMENTATION TANKS I Ill 'II IIHIHI March 10, 1936.

Patented Mar. 10, 1936 APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SEDIIMIENTA- TION TANKS William C. Laughlin, Kew Gardens, and Abraham B. Asch, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Filtration Equipment Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application November 23, 1932, Serial No. 644,020

6 Claims.

This invention relates to sedimentation systo effect an automatic reversal in the direction of.

travel so that the mechanism will travel continuously in forward and backward directions longitudinally of the tank, being for such purpose automatically reversed at each terminal of movement.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a novel sweeping or scraping device which is moved longitudinally of the tank by the traveling mechanism, and this sweeping or scraper device, in furtherance of the object of the invention, is constructed and arranged for reversing operations so,that the sweeping or scraping operation longitudinally of the tank will take place in one direction only.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby automatically to effect the reversing operation of the sweeping or scraping device and further to so control and correlate the reversing operation of the traveling mechanism and sweeping device that these parts at the terminals of movement will be automatically reversed inproper timed relation for carrying out their respective functions in an eflicient manner.

Still a further object of the invention is the provision of a sweeping device of the character described which will efiectually remove solid matter and sludge from rounded comers. -With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and relative arrangement of parts so combined as to coact and cooperate with each other in the performance of the functions and the accomplishe ment of the results herein contemplated and comprises in its evolvement the simple and practical example illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 represents a fragmentary top plan view of a settling tank embodying the .present invention; 1

Fig.2 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken on the line 2-1 of- Fig. 1,' looking in the direction of the arrows associated with said line;

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross sectional view and elevation, this view being taken on the line 3-3of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows associated with said line;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view and elevation, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 and disclosing the arrangement of parts whereby the reversing operations are effected; and

Fig. 5 represents a top plan view and section, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, with parts broken away. I

Referring now with more particularity to the accompanying drawings, ill denotes a sedimentation tank, herein shown as built from concrete, although manifestly it may be constructed of any known or approved material. This tank is of elongated rectangularform comprising opposite side walls II, l2, opposite end walls l3, l4, and a bottom l5. Adjacent the end wall l3, which may be conveniently referred to as the forward or intake end of the tank, the bottom I5 is provided with a sump iii in which the solid matter, sediment and sludge, swept or scraped from the bottom l5, may be collected. For the withdrawal of the refuse collected in the sump it, suitable suction pipes l'l may be provided. The tank may be furnished with an inlet conduit l8 through which the sewage liquids or wastes may be introduced into the tank for treatment. The tank is also herein represented as provided with exterior launders l9, l9 which extend respectively along the side walls II and i2 and are sloped towards the rear of the tank so as to feed into a discharge launder 20. The side walls, and I2, near their top edges may be provided with spaced apart outas-shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. This framework may be constructed in any manner suitable for carrying the various parts hereinafter described and it is suitably mounted upon track wheels 23 of which in the present embodimentthereare two at each end of the frame. In the present instance, the vtrack wheels are represented as fixed to axles 24 mounted to turn in suitable bearings provided in the framework. .These track wheels turn upon track rails'25 suitably mounted upon the top edges of the parallel side walls II and I2. These' tracks rails extend substantially the full length of the tank so that the carriage may travel substantially-the full length thereof in order that the desired sweeping and scraping operations may be effected. Each track rail, at its opposite ends, may be provided with suitable upstanding stops 26 at or near the ter-. minals of movement of the carriage.

The carriage is caused to travel by applying power to one of the axles 24; and the motive power for this purpose comprises an electric motor 21 mounted upon a platform 28 suitably provided on the carriage. Motion may be transmitted from the motor to the axle by any suitable transmission, and in the present instance suitable reduction gears contained within a reduction gear box 29 are operated from the motor, there being a shaft 30 driven by the reduction gears and carrying a wheel 3| which is in driving engagement with a wheel 32 fixed to one of the axles 2d. The electric motor may be of the reversible type, supplied with electrical energy through a three-phase system 38 the individual wires of which are connected with corresponding brushes 3d carried by (butsuitably insulated from) a support 35 depending" from the carriage framework adjacent the inner face of the side wall i2. These brushes engage bus bars 36 mounted on suitable insulation 31 fixed to the inner face of the side wall i2 at the top end thereof above the outlet openings 2 l. Included in the three-phase circuit 33 is a reversing switch 88 having an actuating lever 39' whereby to be operated.

The sweeping or scraping device of our invention depends within the tank from the overhead carriage and includes a pendent skeletonIframework comprising parallel oppositely disposed V- shaped frames id and a horizontal shaft M which rigidly connects the apex of one frame with the apex of the other. Swingably mounted upon the horizontal shaft 4! between the V- shaped frames 40 is a skeleton framework comprising parallel, oppositely disposed bars 42, 62, the same being swingably mounted intermediate their ends upon said horizontal shaft 4|. Fixed to the lower ends of these bars 42, 42

is a scraper plate or board 43 having a length substantially equal to the interior cross dimension of the tank but nevertheless leaving suitable clearance spaces 44 between its opposite ends and the inner faces of the side walls. The

parallel bars 42 may be connected with one another by any suitable strengthening members, as for instance, by cross members 45 and 46; and the scraping plate or board 43 may be reinforced by suitable obliquely inclined brace bars 41 which extend downwardly and outwardly from the bars 42 to positions adjacent the outer extremities of the scraper plate, as shown in Fig.

3. For the purpose of counterbalancing the .scraper plate or board 43, a suitable counterweight 48 is secured to and between the opposite ends of the bars 42.

The means whereby to operate the swingable 'frame includes a short arm 48 which projects from one of the bars 42, and a connecting bar 50 the lower end of which is pivoted at II to the outer end of said short arm 49 while its upper end is pivoted at. I; to a-rotatable disk memfor the purpose on the caniage framework. in this arrangement, the parallel shafts 5d and 58 extend transversely 'of the tank and in such position that the shaft 58 will come in close adjacency to the reversing switch lever 89 and this shaft after passing through its bearing 60 is provided in a plane paralleling the outer face of the side wall l2 with a lateral contact arm ti.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen from the full line illustration of the sweeping device, that when the swing frame is in perpendicular or substantially perpendicular position so as to sweep material forwardly for collection in the sump when the carriage moves forwardly or toward the end wall it, the. pivotal connection between the rod 56 and disk member 58 will be in an ofi-center position with an abutmentshoulder 82 of the disk engaging a stop 63. With these parts in this relation, the swing frame will be blocked against reverse movement under the force which it must exert in sweeping refuse toward the sump. Moreover, with the'parts in this relationship, the lateral contact arm 60 will incline downwardly and forwardly in a position to impinge a stop roller 86 suppprted on a bracket 65 fixed to the side wall 8 2. Said stop roller 66 is located at or near the forward terminal of movement of the carriage and when it is engaged by the contact arm at under for ward movement of the carriage, the wheel 6? will be moved in the direction indicated by the arrow 66 with the result that the disk as will be moved in the direction indicated by the ar= row 61 until a shoulder abutment as contacts with the stop pin 89. Under this operation, the parts will be caused to assume the respective positions indicated by the dotlines at the left-hand end of Fig. 2, when the swing frame will have been swung into an oblique'elevated position.

The reversing switch lever 39 is provided with a roller 69 which turns on a cam Ill fixed to the shaft 58. During the turning of the shaft '8,

brought about by the engagement of the contact arm 8| with the stop roller 64 under the forward travel of the carriage, said lever 39 will be actuated in a manner to reverse. the switch 89 and hence effect a reversal of the motor 21, whereupon the carriage will be propelled in the opposite direction, that is to say, toward the rear end l4 oi the tank. It will be appreciated that in this'arrangement, the swing frame, having been elevated, will remain in its elevated position during the return or backward travel of the carri e, due to the pivotal connection at ll being in an off-center position so that any motion of the scraper will only tend to jam the disk member it harder against stop 83, with the result that there will be no sweeping or scraping of-the settlings during such return or backward travel of the carriage. At or near the rear terminal of movement of the carriage, there is provided a roller stop Ii supported upon a bracket H and when the contact arm 8| during return travel of the carriage, impinges this roller ll the wheel 51 will be moved in the direction indicated by the arrow 12 with the result that the disk 58 will be moved in the direction indicated by the arrow I8 until the shoulder abutment 42. engages the stop 63, thereby again moving the swing frame into perpendicular or substantially perpendicular position. As will be noted in Fig. 2, the inner comer between the rear wall l4 and bottom I! may be so roundedas indicated at I4 that the swing frame in moving from its eleaosaaei carry the scraper plate 43 in such close relationship to the concavely rounded corner 16, that any settlings upon such rounded corner will be removed therefrom. It will of course be recognized that when the contact arm Si is moved by reason of its impingement against the rear stop roller ii, the shaft 58 will turn in a direction for so actuatingthe lever 39 that the motor 21 will be reversed at this terminal of movement in order that the carriage may again travel forwardly toward the end i3 of the tank.

The specific manner in which, or by means of which, the frame for carrying the scraper is supported by the carriage is not so important, for many different specific means can be devised for this purpose, but in any case it is characteristic for the purpose and object of our invention that this frame be elevated from sweeping or scraping position when the reverse or backward movement of the carriage takes place, and further that means be provided at each terminal of movement for reversing the motor as well as the swing carriage in order to provid for continuous 0peration of the carriage forward and backward along the length of the tank.

While our invention has been illustrated and the details of construction or otherwise altering the arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

we claim: a 1. In a sedimentation system, the combination with a sewage settling chamber, of'self-impelled reversible mechanism adapted to travel longitudinally, of said chamber in either direction, a frame supported by said mechanism, a scraper device mounted 'ona fixed aids on said frame for rotation and adapted whenrotated into one position to sweep the bottom of said chamber, reversing means, means under the control of said reversing means for reversing the direction of travel of said mechanism at its terminals of movement, and means under the control of said reversing means for automatically rotating said scraper device to a position in which it is ineifective to sweep -the bottom of said chamber.

2. In an improved sweeping apparatus, the

combination of a frame, a member pivotally attached thereto between its ends for rotation in a vertical plane, a. scraping plate fixed to one end of said member and a counterweight applied to the opposite end thereof, a rotating wheel and means for rotating the same in either direction, a pitman' ,bar and crank connection between said wheel and member whereby to rotate the latter from the former, and means c0- operating with said'wheel for limiting the rota-' tion of the same in both directions.

3. In an improved sweeping apparatus, the

combination. of a frame, a member pivotally attached thereto between its ends for rotation in a vertical plane, a sweeping device attached to one end of said member and a counterweight applied'to the opposite end thereof, a rotary wheel on the frame and a connecting bar pivotally connecting said wheel with said member.

4.In scraper operating mechanism including a tiltable scraper, the combination with a controlling arm for the scraper, of a rotatable member to which said arm is pivotally attached at one end,;said member being provided with spaced shoulder abutments at one side of a diametrical center llnethereof, and a stop for engagement by said abutments in off-center positions.

5..In scraper operating'mechanlsm including a tiltable scraper, the'combination with a controlling arm for the scraper, of a rotatable member to which said arm is pivotally attached at one end, said member being provided with paced shoulder abutments at one side of 'a dia etrical center'line thereof, a stop' for engagement by said abutments-in off-center positions, and means associated with said member for operating the same a distance sufllcient to bring either shoulder into engagement with said stop.

6. In a cleaning apparatusfor a sewage tank including a traveling carriage adapted to travel longitudinally of the tank, a rigid frame projecting downwardly. therefrom into the tank. a shaft supported in the lower portion of said frame, a member mounted intermediate its ends on said shaft to swingthereon and carrying ascraping plate at one end and a counterweight on the opposite end, said member being swingable to and from a position in which the scraping plate will sweep settled solids along the bottom of the tank during the travel of the carriage, a reversing member and its actuating means on the sweeping plate to a position in which it will be out of sweeping relation with respect to the bottom when the carriage moves in a direction. A

" 'wmu c. madman.

ABRAHAM B. ABCH. 

